


Similar Souls Wander In Similar Places

by ninathena



Category: The 100 (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Female Friendship, Multi
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-11-10
Updated: 2016-11-10
Packaged: 2018-08-30 05:03:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,198
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8519572
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ninathena/pseuds/ninathena
Summary: The next time Raven sees her she’s sitting alone in the mess hall, nursing a drink and looking lonelier than Raven has ever felt – which is saying something.“You’re Emori,” she states, standing beside the girl’s table. Her curiosity had peaked after their brief conversation, finally caving and asking Clarke just who the hell this girl was. Turns out her name is Emori, and she and Murphy were far more than just friends. To say she’d been surprised is putting it mildly.“You’re Raven,” Emori simply replies.Or, Raven and Emori become friends, because I need it to happen.





	

**Author's Note:**

> I really hope these two share at least one scene next season. They have so much in common and I love them both.
> 
> So, this is probably soooo OOC, it's new ground for me writing something NOT all about Bellarke. I'm very sorry if it is, hopefully you can still enjoy it :)

Raven limps down the hall, every step a painful struggle tearing deep inside her hip. The urgency of her gait only makes it worse until it flares white hot behind her eyes, making her clench her jaw in an effort to hold back the tears.

She growls low in her throat, irritated at her own feebleness as she continues to rush along, pushing herself forward despite it all.

There isn’t time for slow and steady. There isn’t time for _anything_ , she reminds herself, Earth’s impending doom always at the forefront of her mind. The ticking clock casting a shadow over everything.

The news had been a blow, her stomach dropping as she stared at Clarke in disbelief, feeling a sense of unfairness at the whole situation. They’d just defeated ALIE, done the impossible… again. They deserved a break. They deserved to live. But of course, life isn’t fair. And life on the _ground_ is a _bitch_.

Distracted by the never ending wheel of hopeless thoughts, she doesn’t notice the small crate in her path until she’s tripping forward, barely catching herself on the wall as the papers she’d been holding close to her chest are flung into the air, flying around her and gliding to the floor.

“Dammit,” she hisses, clutching her throbbing shin as she eyes the mess of plans, maps and blueprints spread out before her. She’d been on her way to meet with Clarke and a small number of “lucky” individuals who’d been cleared to know just how unlucky they really were. Of course she was running late, as always. She’d never been a punctual person to begin with, but give her a project to lose herself in and she’d do just that.

But now, she’s running _very_ late, and she can already see the irritation on Clarke’s face, the pinched lips and disappointed eyes, which would quickly be hidden behind the cold, impassive mask that seemed to show up more often these days on her friend’s haggard features.

With a sigh, Raven stoops over, reaching to collect her mess, but being unable to bend her knee makes the simple task difficult. One hand holding her hip, as if possible to temper the inflamed muscle, she slowly lowers herself to the floor with a drawn out groan.

She tries to ignore the feeling of inadequacy, as it only makes her want to rage. Which is something she’s come close to doing a lot lately. Like a spring inside a clock, she’s wound too tight, almost to the breaking point. But there’s so much to be done. So many decisions that need to be made. People that always need to be saved and wars that always need to be fought. And she’s just so tired.

With her papers gathered, she prepares herself for the torture of standing back up again. She takes a steady, readying breath… and then flinches when she opens her eyes to find a hand directly in front of her face, and her eyes peal up to a smiling girl.

She can’t recall a name to go with the face, but this girl has been hard to miss. She’d arrived with Clarke and Bellamy after their “victory” in Polis, and she’s stayed close to Murphy’s side ever since. Yeah, she was friends with Murphy of all people, just one of the reasons Raven has made sure to stay away from this tiny girl with the bold, face tattoo.

But she’s noticed her. Noticed how even though she stays mostly silent, allows Murphy to do most of the talking with others, she never appears timid or shy in any way. On the contrary, confidence practically radiates from her, from the way she holds herself, with shoulders back and chin high, to the glint of arrogance in her eyes and the smirk of her lips.

Raven’s also noticed the hand, or the fact that it’s always kept under wraps and hardly ever used. She’s curious what the girl is hiding under there, kinda has a desire to ask Jasper since he’s strangely close to Murphy these days. But she thinks better of it. She’s not one to gossip; that’s something people who aren’t about to die in six months do. She doesn’t have that luxury.

“Thanks,” she mumbles, taking the proffered hand. She tries not to use all her weight, but the pain in her hip is excruciating and she nearly drops back to the floor before Murphy’s new bestie catches her other arm.

They both freeze until Raven nods, certain she can hold herself up. Embarrassment creeps in and she really hopes it isn’t as noticeable as it feels, cheeks running hot as she ducks her head.

Apparently she’s not that lucky.

“You shouldn’t be ashamed when you need help. Everyone does… from time to time.”

Raven huffs, lips pulling a quick smirk. “Are those your words of wisdom for the day?”

“Words of wisdom?”

“Yeah, I mean—” she shrugs defensively, though she has no idea why she feels the need to be on the defensive “—it seems like everyone has some for me. Why not the new girl?”

She cocks her head, watching Raven as if she were trying to figure something out. Figure _her_ out. And it’s extremely unsettling.

“It’s just something I learned long ago. Those who go it alone, don’t last for long. And as I see it, there’s nothing shameful about surviving.”

Raven blinks, unsure how to respond. But the girl only grins before continuing her way down the hall, calling out a quick, “You’re welcome.”

 

 

The next time Raven sees her she’s sitting alone in the mess hall, nursing a drink and looking lonelier than Raven has ever felt – which is saying something.

“You’re Emori,” she states, standing beside the girl’s table. Her curiosity had peaked after their brief conversation, finally caving and asking Clarke just who the hell this girl was.

Turns out her name is Emori, and she and Murphy were far more than just friends. To say she’d been surprised is putting it mildly.

“You’re Raven,” Emori simply replies.

She feels bad for this grounder girl, in a new place and all alone except for Murphy. And even he is gone now, off with Bellamy, Miller and Bryan as they explore ALIE’s mansion, searching for any clues that could help them survive what was to come.

Inhaling deeply, Raven takes a seat across from her, fingers twisting together nervously on the metal table. She feels Emori’s eyes on her, but is unable to return her gaze.

“You’re worried about Murphy?”

“Am I so obvious?”

Raven lets out a huff of laughter, finally looking up. “You might not be biting people’s heads off like Clarke, but yeah, a little bit.”

“I don’t want to be alone,” Emori admits softly, staring down blankly at her full shot glass. “I always told myself I didn’t care. I didn’t need people. I had my brother, that was enough. But now he’s dead, and John is all I have.”

Raven frowns slightly at the name. She’s not sure she ever thought of Murphy having a first name, much less wonder what it was. It’s… odd. Almost like it’s not the same person, not the person who shot and crippled her, who killed two of their own and threatened so many more.

But it is, she reminds herself. Just because his girlfriend smiles and worries and calls him _John_ , doesn’t change the fact that they are one in the same, and she feels a bitterness stir low within her. A resentment at the man who hurt so many and got away with it all.

“I took the key because I thought I was alone.”

A quiet gasp escapes Raven’s throat, remembering her own reasons for submitting to ALIE. The fear and pain that always surrounded her. The sad hope that, perhaps this was a way to not feel so hopeless any _more_. Of course, she knows now it was a deception, a way to control while taking away the most basic of human rights – to think for oneself.

She suspects Emori knows that too, and, like her, is still dealing with the ramifications of having made that choice.

“You shouldn’t worried.”

Emori regards her carefully. “Why is that?”

“He’s with Bellamy and Miller. Bryan too. They’ll take care of each other.”

A sad sort of look crosses her face. “But will they care for _him_?”

Honestly, Raven doesn’t really care, but this isn’t about her or Murphy, but Emori. And it’s not too much to give the girl some hope of her own to hold onto.

“Of course they will. For better or worse, Murphy’s one of us.” She tries not to say it with too much disdain. She considers Emori’s full drink, reaching out and smoothly taking it from in front of her, Emori doesn’t give any indication of caring one way or the other.

The alcohol burns down her throat and she grimaces for a moment at the awfulness of it. “I bet they’re even having fun.”

“Really?”

“Oh yeah. I can already imagine Murphy’s off color jokes and the sass Miller’s giving him for it.” She cocks her head as she imagines the entertaining scene in her head. “Then of course, Bellamy will be rolling his eyes at the both of them, trying not to show how much he enjoys their banter.”

Emori’s lips quirk into an almost smile, and Raven feels a little lighter at having actually helped, if only a little.

“And… Bryan?”

“Bryan _will_ be enjoying it,” she sighs, “and he’ll have no problem showing it, grinning in a way that makes everyone else wanna smile.”

Emori nods her head fondly and Raven asks her if she wants another round – she did steal her drink after all. The grounder girl doesn’t drink anymore but they do end up sitting together for far longer than Raven had been planning to. It’s on her way back to her quarters she realizes how relaxed she feels – how calm considering. And it’s not just the alcohol.

She’d enjoyed talking to Emori. She missed having a friend. A real one. And as she climbs into her bed that night, she tries not to think about how her only other friend had been blown up, or the fact that the only conversations she now has with Clarke are stilted, strained discussions about how they were going to save the human race.

 

 

“How does this tech work, exactly?”

Raven looks up from tinkering and sees Emori turning an mp3 over in her hand. The grounder eyes it, bewildered at the small rectangular object.

Raven can’t help the smile that pulls at her lips, suddenly excited to introduce her to _real_ music – she’s heard grounder “music” before, and it’s very… percussiony. She holds out her hand and Emori sets the device in her palm. Quickly rummaging through the crap on her workbench, she finds the white earbuds.

“Okay, get ready for a mind blowing experience,” she says with a grin, raising the buds to Emori’s ears. The grounder scowls as Raven searches through the list of tracks before finally settling on one that isn’t too fast or too loud, but just different enough to shock her.

Emori blinks when Raven presses play, the micro expressions that chase across her features, comical. Finally, she smiles, toothy and bright.

Raven returns it. “You like it?” Emori only shakes her head in astonishment. Raven rolls her eyes, plucking out a bud. “Do you like it?”

“That’s amazing,” Emori breathes. Raven instructs her on the basics of how it works and she’s surprised how quickly Emori picks it up. “Each one of these is more music?” Emori asks as she scrolls through the track list.

“Yep.” The grounder seems captivated by the new toy, playing one song and then another before the first even has time to end, rolling the volume up high and then low. “Tell you what. How ‘bout you borrow it for a while.”

“But… it’s yours.”

And Raven has to laugh at that. “Aren’t you a thief?”

Emori rolls her eyes, pushing off the table. “I don’t steal from friends.”

She blinks, speechless, a nervous warmth pooling in her chest. She wonders if this is some sort of trick, a way to get close to her for some reason. “Well, it’s not stealing if I’m letting you borrow it. So, take it. Everyone should hear the Beatles at least once in their life.”

“Thank you,” Emori says, expression as solemn as her words, and Raven so badly wants to believe them – wants to trust her.

“You’re welcome.”

 

 

Raven can already hear Clarke’s strong voice through the door, low but vehement, and it’s almost enough to make her rethink walking in, go back to her quarters and catch up on some much needed sleep. But then she thinks of her friends, and who knows what kind of trouble they were in, and she knows she has no choice but to try and deal with yet another crisis if she wants to save them.

“And what about you, huh?” Clarke asks sharply, standing before the Ice Nation King with arms crossed and fire in her eyes. “You’re a _king_. You don’t think your people are going to notice your absence?”

“That’s different.”

“How?”

Roan clenches his jaw, holding back.

Clarke steps forward, nose flaring. “How is it different?”

“You’re too close to this,” he rasps.

Clarke releases and indignant huff. “Of course I am, they’re my _friends_.”

Roan doesn’t say anything to that, only eyeing her like she should know exactly what he means. Raven’s not sure she does though, knows that Clarke is a master at self-deception. Her relationship with Bellamy something she refused to ever speak about much less acknowledge as something more than just… platonic partners.

She clears her throat, announcing her presence as she limps forward, trying to break the awkward tension in the room.

“I have the list.” She holds out the paper with the list of locations of every one of Bellamy’s check in’s. He was supposed to radio in at seven and ten every day so they could be made aware of where he and his team were and, and just generally know that they were okay.

Of course, this was Bellamy and he was almost as bad at punctuality as she was. But he did check in, even if it wasn’t at the right times… until yesterday that is. It’d been almost twenty four hours and they hadn’t heard so much as a crackle from the radio.

“What are you guys talking about?” Raven asks hesitantly, the space around them still uneasy as Clarke and Roan give each other not so subtle looks.

Clarke takes a deep breath, releasing with the words, “I’m going to lead a team to find them.”

Roan growls, shaking his head and turning away. She has to say, she agrees. There’s absolutely no reason for Clarke to be risking her own life at a time like this. At a time when they need her most.

“I don’t think it’s a good idea,” Raven says simply.

Clarke huffs, taking the list Raven holds out and laying it flat on the nearby table. “You want to argue with me about this too?”

“We need you here.”

“ _They_ need me.” Her finger slides across the paper at Bellamy’s last check in, reading the longitude/latitude he’d given. She shuffles papers around on the desk until she finds the map, searching for the corresponding location. “And I won’t leave them behind.”

Raven stands beside her, looking down at her determined face. “Clarke, in case you haven’t notice, the end of the world is coming… fast. The last thing that needs to happen is you getting yourself killed—”

Clarke whips her head around, blue eyes fuming, but Raven can see it for what it really is – fear.

“And what about them? They’re out there right now because of me. If anything happens to them, it’s because of _me_.”

Raven frowns at that. She respects Clarke and all she’s done for them, but she’s had enough of her bullshit mindset that everything that’s ever gone wrong is her fault. Shit happens, and the world they live in his _hard_. But the only chance they have to survive is if they do this together.

“Why do you get to take responsibility for everyone?” she snaps. “Who are you to decide that everything should lay on your shoulders? That every responsibility is _yours to bear_?”

The words hit a nerve, and Clarke blinks, flinching minutely.

Raven takes a calming breath, tries to take control of the emotions that she’s kept dormant for so long but are now coming up to the surface.

“We need you here, Clarke,” she says softly. “I know you’re afraid, and I know you feel like you have to always do this on your own, but you don’t.” She can see the tears gather in Clarke’s eyes, and she feels her own burn. “Trust us.”

Clarke wets her lips, turning away. “I do,” she finally says. “I trust you. I just…”

Raven nods, understanding. “It’s okay. We’ll get him back.” And the trembling chin and large, terrified eyes makes her heart ache. “We’ll get them all back,” she amends, because her friend is definitely not in the right headspace to be admitting to anything just yet.

 

 

“I knew I shouldn’t have told you.”

Emori smiles and laughs, stuffing her small bag before lifting the strap over her head. “I’m glad you did.” She lifts her brows. “And so are you. If anyone can find your friends, it’s me.”

Raven shakes her head at the girl’s cockiness. “Well, you’re gonna have to play nice. Roan’s bringing a few of his people with him.”

“I’ll be fine.” She turns quick in the doorway, Raven nearly crashing into her. “Unlike some people, I actually enjoy the company of others.”

Raven purses her lips, arms crossed beneath her chest, not believing that crap for a second.

“A few select others,” Emori amends with a chuckle.

Emori’s pace is unhurried and even, allowing Raven to keep up easily, something she always does when they’re walking side by side. Fear looms darker with every step they take, the sight of the stables making Raven’s stomach clench. She doesn’t want to lose anyone else. And even with Emori’s blasé attitude about the whole mission, her mind is turning over all the worst possible scenarios in her head. And with their luck lately, one of those scenarios is probably what will end up happening.

She helps saddle Milo, tying on the sack of extra rations.

Emori takes her arm, squeezing gently. “I’ll be fine.”

She shrugs. “I know.”

They lead Milo out, and she sees a small group gathered by the front gates. Clarke is there, giving Roan an earful of her demands before handing him a walkie.

Emori groans. “I just realized I’ll be stuck with the Ice King.”

“You don’t like him?” Raven asks with a frown.

Emori climbs into her saddle with a grunt, making herself comfortable. “I don’t know him. But he would very much like to know you, and now I’ll have to deal with him constantly questioning me about you.”

Raven rolls her eyes, looking away as her face heats up. She refuses to admit any attraction to the gruff _king_ , no matter how many times she gets caught checking him out.

“Don’t worry,” Emori chuckles, “I’ll tell him you’ll eat him alive.”

“Thanks… I think.”

As they say their goodbyes Raven tries not to give in to her fear, tries to steel herself against the anxiety of always watching loved ones leave her. Fingers brush against her arm and she turns to see Clarke still standing beside her, mask down and eyes wide with worry, and she wraps her arms tight around her, because they’re stronger together and she thinks that it’s a lesson they're both still trying to learn.

 

 

It feels like they’re living a double life. Meetings with Kane and the Council, long nights in the mech lab learning everything they can about radiation and the best ways to prevent it; and then there’s those times when there’s no work to be done, when she and Clarke huddle together beside her bed drinking way too much and trying to stay strong, all while it feels like the world is crashing down around them.

But they keep their hope, keep their determination to fight.

And for once, it pays off.

Roan’s crackling voice makes both of them jump in the quiet lab. There’s a half-second where they look at each other in shock before they rush to the radio.

“Roan?” Clarke asks, trembling and desperate.

Raven ducks her head as she tries to understand the Ice King’s disjointed voice. They’d found the others, hidden in a village, caught by a group of nomadic grounders. They were okay, dirty and scratched up, but okay.

Raven and Clarke release a collective sigh of relief before sharing a smile; one less weight to carry, one less worry to agonize over.

 

 

The day of their return excitement bubbles within of her, despite how hard she tries to hold it back. She gets frowns and looks from almost everyone she speaks to, and the only person who seems to understand her is Clarke. And once again it’s them standing at the gate, this time watching their people return instead of leave. And it just so rarely happens that for once the world is on their side.

First to enter is Roan, appearing confident and casual atop his horse. Their eyes find each other and goosebumps raise along her arms as she tries to keep herself from shivering. Thanks to Clarke’s insistence, she’s already chosen to invite him for a drink, maybe find out why she finds him so intriguing.

Next is Miller and Bryan, looking a little worse for wear but overall healthy as they try to keep their balance on their shared horse. She pats Bryan on the leg as they plod past her, and he repays her with a gap-toothed grin.

“Please tell me you have not been standing here the whole week I’ve been gone.”

Raven whips her head around, relief making her feel light and happy. Emori’s carefree smile is wide as she guides her horse closer.

“Nah, I was already outside when they happened to announce you guys were here,” she teases with a shrug.

“Huh, huh.” A face comes up from around Emori with a smirk Raven knows all too well.

“Raven Reyes.”

She’s not really sure what she’s feeling. Annoyance? Guilt? _Hate_? Maybe all three. “Murphy,” she mutters.

He slides down from the horse and turns to help Emori, but before he can barely raise his hands she’s already thrown a leg over and jumped down with a satisfied grin. Murphy turns his arms palms up, as if asking her why she left him hanging, but she only giggles, giving him a quick kiss before pushing away.

It's uncomfortable, feeling like the third wheel, and she pushes her hands inside her pockets and instead watches Clarke whose whole body is tight and stiff, blue eyes fixed on Echo as she tromps into Arkadia slowly, a slumped Bellamy behind her.

“He’s okay,” Emori explains, holding Raven’s arm.

“What happened?”

Murphy shrugs. “Grounders thought they’d be able to get information out of him if the rearranged his face.” He shakes his head, arching his brow. “Little did they know that, that son of a bitch is a masochist.”

Before she can respond she’s being pulled into a hug by Emori, arms tight around her shoulders. Raven hesitates at first, startled by the surprise hug, but quickly reciprocates, smiling at the comfort it gives her.

“I’m glad you’re okay.”

Emori nods. “Me too.”

“Me three,” Murphy says, raising his hand.

Emori cocks her head towards him. “Of course you are. If I hadn’t survived no one would’ve saved your sorry ass.”

“Eh, that’s probably true.”

It sets Emori off on another round of laughter and Raven can’t help but feel happy for her. Murphy’s not her favorite, and she’ll always hold him responsible for… a lot. But she thinks she can be content with this.

“So you two are like friends now?” Murphy questions, finger waving back and forth between them.

“We are,” Emori answers definitively.

“Hmm." He nods and Raven actually feels nervous about his reaction. Not that she should, his feelings on this friendship shouldn’t matter, except, for some reason, they do.

“That’s hot,” Murphy deadpans, causing Emori to push at his chest. He releases an ‘oomph’ with a chuckle, and any tension Raven might’ve felt evaporates.

“C’mon,” Murphy starts, slinging an arm around Emori who quickly grabs Raven’s bicep, dragging her along. “Let me get cleaned up and you two can tell all about how you met, and the horrors you’ve planned to inflict upon me.”

Raven huffs. “More like punishment you mean.”

“I’d be careful, Raven,” Emori warns, “Bellamy’s not the only one who likes pain.”

Raven scrunches up her face, mouth twisting with disgust. “Oh, I did not need to know that.”


End file.
